MSU unveils new STAR Scholarship

Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum announced an unprecedented new MSU scholarship program that will partner with the Mississippi Economic Council's highly successful Student-Teacher Achievement Recognition or STAR program.

The announcement came during the MEC's Capital Day event Thursday [Jan. 10] in Jackson.

"Today I am very pleased to announce that Mississippi State University will offer a scholarship worth $6,000 to every STAR student in Mississippi," Keenum said. "The Mississippi State STAR Student Scholarship will be awarded in addition to any other scholarship offers these outstanding students have from our university."

The scholarship targets the state's most academically talented students. STAR students have a minimum ACT of 25 and minimum high school grade average of 93.

With Keenum's announcement, MSU becomes the state's first university to create a scholarship for all Mississippi STAR Students. "We do so in the hope that it will encourage more of our best and brightest to attend college here in their home state, which increases the odds that they will also make their careers here in Mississippi," said Keenum.

Keenum stressed that the new scholarship would augment existing scholarship opportunities for the state's top students. "Based on the ACT score and grade point average criteria for the STAR designation, and the criteria for our Freshman Academic Scholarships, we expect that each of these students will already be eligible for scholarships at Mississippi State ranging from $12,000 to $34,000, in addition to the $6,000 STAR Student Scholarship," he said.

For the past 46 years, the Mississippi Economic Council and its M. B. Swayze Foundation have brought well deserved recognition for academic achievement to students and their teachers. More than 300 public, private and parochial schools in Mississippi participate in the program, and typically one student from each high school is honored each year, along with a teacher chosen by the student.

"This provides another important recognition of these students' superior achievement," said Blake Wilson, President & CEO of the Mississippi Economic Council. "Mississippi State today has helped send a signal to these students we want them to continue to achieve without leaving our borders."

The Mississippi Economic Council has been the voice of Mississippi business since 1949. MEC deals with broad issues that relate to businesses through advocacy, research, resources and leadership. MEC has more than 8,000 members from more than 1,100 member firms in 2,400 locations throughout Mississippi. For more information, go to www.mec.ms

For more information about Mississippi State University, see www.msstate.edu.